thirtydegree

Why have you decided to join the Heart Runners team? You may enter up to 1000 characters *

I’ve been looking hard to support a charity whose cause doesn’t discriminate against men or women. I grew up without both my grandfathers, as they both died of heart related disease before I was born. Also knowing young, fit people suffering heart trouble, I feel that this is the right charity for me to support, as heart disease doesn’t discriminate its victims.

I’m a firm believer that a healthy heart leads to a healthy mind. I took up running as my main focus for exercise last year and have run over 800km in 7 months. I’ve discovered a true passion in running and using Nike+ this has been kept fresh through challenges and tracking my progress over time. I also started to notice how much better I feel when I run and it’s the perfect opportunity to clear my head of clutter at the end of the day and week.

How would you aim to achieve your pledged fundraising target (please provide full details)? *

I am going to run a “Tweet my beat” campaign. The tweet with the closest match to my total heartbeats for the duration of the marathon will stand to win an iPod. The tweeter will need to have donated to be considered in the draw. Joint winners will receive iTunes vouchers as an equivalent alternative. This shall be for my personal expense.

My campaign will be focussed towards online social networking – Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and to a lesser extent LinkedIn (for professional purposes), as friends who have run for charity say that this is where they achieve the majority of their fundraising.

Offline, I will be creating awareness to my campaign through my gym noticeboard (Virgin Active) to extend the reach of fundraising. I shall also extend this to friends and family, with Christmas cards focussed on giving to your charity.

At work I shall try a few different fundraising avenues, in the form of an emailer soliciting donations for my run. Closer to the time of the marathon I will also ask for an awareness day in the form of a casual Friday £2. This should be able to bring in £200 and if extremely lucky, a match may be made by the company, however I am not banking on this part. A doughnut donation is another excellent fundraising opportunity at the office.

I firmly believe that through these efforts and putting in 5 hours a week towards fundraising efforts, I will be able to meet my target of £1,500. As this is my first fundraising effort, I don’t want to fall short of my target and make you miss your fundraising target. Obviously the aim is to exceed this target.

Besides a 2.5km run we used to have to do on the odd occasion in primary school and a 5km fun run with work, I’d never actually run outdoors for any memorable distance. Sure I have run many kilometers on the gym treadmill, over time, looking at myself in the mirrors or pretending to watch the news whilst eyeing up a gym hottie.

I had never given it much thought how I got into running until recently, whilst running with a friend who is new to the experience of running on the road too.

About a year ago I was stuck in a rut with my gym training and really wanted to enjoy the benefits of being outdoors and exercising at the same time. I love the outdoors and find running on a treadmill as boring as hell, to be honest. The only thing was that I had never gone the distance outdoors and had a mental block to being able to do it.

I decided to bite the bullet one afternoon when a friend invited me to go for a run after work in Hyde Park. I knew my competitive streak wouldn’t allow me to give in, certainly when my ego could stand to be bruised. Obviously I had not told him I had never run outdoors before.

I short the experience was exhilarating. I had experienced a high from fitness which you just don’t get in the gym when you go through the motions. I wanted to do it again. This time only better.

That is how I clocked up no less than 800km in 7 months. The results from one run became the benchmark for the next run. Faster, longer, undiscovered routes and being crowned on top routes on Nike+ all give a boost for the next run.

Why I run? I think it’s my competitive streak that keeps me running. I won’t be beat. Least alone by myself. Then there’s release of endorphins and euphoric moments experienced during the run that leave you on a high. Your back straightens, shoulders pull back and you feel as though you can conquer the world.

I already know what would happen if I suddenly stopped. I would suffer withdrawal symptoms. I do even when on holiday. I take my trainers with me ‘just in case’. When I suffered a running injury earlier in the year I started to feel depressed. I saw light at the end of the tunnel the moment my physiotherapist put me back on a treadmill for 5 minutes and I felt the rush.

I think I will always run now. Nothing can stop me. I run through all weather. Next steps are faster and further. I want to get below 4’30″/km and have a few half marathons under my belt before the year is out.

On this day in 1997, the words that were immortalised by Baz Luhrmann “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” are 14 years old. The original article appeared in the Chicago Tribune entitled, “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young”. The author, Mary Schmich set out to write a fictitious graduation speech. “Most of us, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an audience of caps and gowns”.

She invited her readership to do the same, 14-years later we take up that mantle and the #sunscreenchallenge was born. Each blogger spent 1-hour creating a graduation speech. Essentially, it’s the advice that they’d pass onto school leavers today based on their own life experience.

Twitter users: If you’ve enjoyed the blog – please RT the post, include the #sunscreenchallenge tag and find other blog posts using this hashtag. #sunscreenchallenge

Never Let Go

Some moments stay with you as fresh as the minute they happened.  Memories of high school days weren’t filled with happiness, more dread at schoolground taunting about my sexuality.  That only made me stronger.

I had a dream.  It was to be successful at what I’m good at.  Unfortunately my teachers’ opinions differed to mine in terms of career path.  Walking into the guidance counsellors office is a memory as fresh as yesterday.  Sitting down to be told I don’t have an aptitude for numbers and I would not be able to take accounting classes was like having your dream snatched from before your eyes.

There’s a fire that burns deep.  I swore at that moment that I wouldn’t allow my dream to die.  I knew I had no chance of being able to attend class during school, so I studied at nightschool after I matriculated (finished school) whilst studying a marketing qualification during the daytime.  Six years of schooling compressed into six months and a C grade national diploma later I was admitted into university where I studied my accounting qualification.

It never dies.  Even at the times when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel, reliving that initial moment is enough to give you the push you need to go on.  I’m currently stuyding ACCA (chartered accountancy) and there are moments I want to pack it all in but I remember my dream.

Give it all.  I’m not be the best accountant out there but I know my stuff.  I’ll put my hands up when I’m wrong or make a mistake.  Give your very best every time you do something, never a rushed or half job.  Second best doesn’t cut it.

Be a dreamer.  Take time out to stare at the clouds.  It keeps your dream alive and gives you the opportunity to reflect on where you’ve come from and see the where you’re headed.

Dreams never die, they only fade away…